Alex Cora Rumors

The Royals announced via Twitter that they have traded outfielder Greg Golson to the White Sox for cash considerations. The 26-year-old appeared in nine games for the Yankees last year and hit .263/.330/.385 in 105 games with the team’s Triple-A affiliate.

Cora will compete for a utility infield role, writes Goold. The 36-year-old Scott Boras client hit .224/.287/.276 in 172 plate appearances for the Nationals last year, spending most of his time in the field on the left side of the infield.

The Cardinals are close to signing Alex Cora to a minor league contract reports MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. The team didn't confirm that a deal was close. Cora is a Scott Boras client.

Earlier this month we learned that the 36-year-old infielder intended to play in 2012, though he was drawing interest as a coach. Cora hit just .224/.287/.276 in 172 plate appearances with the Nationals last season while playing all four infield spots.

Though Alex Cora announced his retirement from winter ball, he intends to play in the Major Leagues this year. He has drawn interest as a coach and infielder, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com tweets. According to the Puerto Rican paper El Nuevo Dia, Cora says he'd still like to play in the majors for another year, even though he hasn’t seen official offers yet (translation by Nick Collias).

Ivan Rodriguez, who caught for the Nationals last year but hasn’t signed with a new team yet, tells Amanda Comak of the Washington Times that it’s tough not having a job. “At the same time, what you going to do?” Rodriguez said. “You really cannot do anything. The only thing I can tell you is that I'm in good shape.”

The Phillies are bottom fishing for infielders, Heyman tweets. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets that the Phillies could look for someone with a little more power than Wilson Valdez — perhaps Ryan Theriot.

Free agent utility player Alex Cora is drawing interest as a player and as a coach, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports. The 14-year veteran will probably choose to play another year, according to Heyman.

Cora posted a .224/.287/.276 line in 172 plate appearances for the Nationals in 2011, playing all four infield positions. The 36-year-old Boras Corporation client has a .243/.310/.338 career line since breaking in to the Major Leagues as a member of the 1998 Dodgers. As the 2011 ended, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reported that teams have inquired about Cora's interest in managing. Washington GM Mike Rizzo has interest in Cora as a future coach.

The big off-field news of the night is that the Marlins are working to acquire manager Ozzie Guillen from the White Sox. On the field, the Phillies picked up their 100th win of the season at the expense of the Braves, whose struggles continued. Here are the latest NL East links…

Nationals utility player Alex Cora told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he intends to continue playing in 2012 and, potentially, beyond. Kilgore notes that teams inquired about Cora's interest in managing last offseason and adds that GM Mike Rizzo has interest in the 35-year-old as a future coach.

Rick Ankiel, a free agent after the season, told Bill Ladson of MLB.com that he wants to return to D.C. next year since he believes the organization is headed in the right direction. The Nationals entered the day with 78 wins, the most they've had in any season since 2005.

Ryota Igarashi wants to pitch for an MLB team in 2012 and the Mets will release him if they don't reach a deal by a certain date, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin (Twitterlinks). Rubin doubts that the 32-year-old will return to the Mets in 2012.

The Marlins interviewed hitting coach Eduardo Perez along with third base Joe Espada and Nationals coach Bo Porter for their managerial opening today, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). For more on the Marlins, click here.

Travis Ishikawa admitted he hoped another team would claim him when he was placed on waivers earlier this season, according to MLB.com's Chris Haft. However, now he says he's glad he's still with the Giants organization and is excited to stay on the West Coast, playing for Triple-A Fresno.

The Nationals agreed to signAlex Corato a minor league deal worth $900K plus $600K in incentives, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (on Twitter). MLB.com's Bill Ladson first reported that the Nats were in serious talks with the Scott Boras client.

Cora played all four infield positions in 2010, though most of his big league experience has come at second and short. The 35-year-old hit .210/.266/.278 with the Mets and Rangers last year, before Texas released him in September.

The Mets finalized a deal with former Nationals utility player Willie Harris today, so the NL East rivals are swapping utility players in a way. Harris was a member of the Nationals from 2008-10 and Cora suited up for the Mets from 2009-10.

Cora played all four infield positions in 2010, though most of his big league experience has come at second and short. The 35-year-old hit .210/.266/.278 with the Mets and Rangers last year, before Texas released him in September. Rizzo has a good working relationship with agent Scott Boras, who represents Cora and Nationals such as Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg.

Though the team consideredJerry Hairston Jr.as a utility player, some in the organization believe his asking price would be too high, according to Ladson.

The Rangers designated infielder Alex Cora for assignment to create roster space for Esteban German. The Rangers signed Cora last month after the Mets released him, but the 34-year-old played in just four games for Texas, batting only seven times (he singled twice).

German, 32, has not yet appeared in the majors this season, though he is an eight-year major league veteran. He posted a .280/.371/.388 line at Triple A this year, spending most of his time at short, second and third. The utilityman also played left and center, though the Rangers presumably intend to use German on the infield.